Chapter 35

“Well then, Ryuichi-kun, see you later.”
“Come back anytime you want.”
“Yeah. I’ll be back whenever I’m craving a good meal and a fine woman.”

With those words, Ryuichi stepped out of the Rindo household.
Feeling an illusionary shock as he was thrust from the warm air out into the bitter cold, Ryuichi realized just how much he was being changed by these women. It wasn’t a repulsive sensation by any means; if anything, it was a feeling that made him want to linger in that warmth even longer.

“Hey, you listening, you damn hag? There was a time when I used to wish you’d given me a home like that.”

Ryuichi muttered the words without any particular emotional weight.
Lately, the more time he spent with Shizuna and the others, the more he felt the stark contrast against his past memories. The Ryuichi who was once told by both his father and mother that he was unwanted and didn’t even feel like a son was now changing under the influence of other people. What would his late parents think if they saw him now? What would they think if they saw the women who had grown so drawn to him…?

“Hah, what a waste of time.”

With a sharp huff, Ryuichi started walking again.
Yet perhaps she hadn’t completely missed the state Ryuichi was in. Or perhaps she had simply sensed something shifting inside him. Just as he turned his back to leave, the front door behind him clicked open with a sharp sound.

“Eh?”

Even Ryuichi was startled enough to spin around.
“Wait, Ryuichi-kun.”
“Shizuna?”

Shizuna had rushed right out of the house. Unlike Ryuichi, who was still dressed in his school uniform, she was wearing only her pajamas without a jacket over them. Even though the night air was biting cold, she didn’t seem to care about catching a chill.

“I’m sorry. I just… wanted to do this for a second.”
“Really…”

Making sure she wouldn’t catch a chill from hugging him, Ryuichi wrapped his arms tightly around Shizuna’s body. Her body should have been warm, but the longer they stayed outside, the more the chill began to seep in. Sakie was probably waiting anxiously for her just on the other side of the entranceway.

“Come on, you’re going to catch a cold. Go back inside.”
“…Yeah. Thank you, Ryuichi-kun.”
“Don’t go thanking me for a stupid thing like that.”

If anything, Ryuichi wanted to say that he was the one who should be thanking her. Stepping out from the warmth provided by Shizuna and Sakie into the freezing night had left him feeling a bit sentimental. The gentle comfort she offered to chase away even a fraction of that loneliness soaked straight into his skin… and made the presence right in front of him feel impossibly, overwhelmingly vast.

“Shizuna.”
“Tch… mn.”

Unable to help himself, Ryuichi captured Shizuna’s lips.
Shizuna responded by wrapping her arms around his back. It wasn’t a deep, tongue-tangling kiss, but rather a soft, lingering peck. When he finally pulled away, Shizuna looked reluctant to let go, yet knowing she couldn’t stay out here forever, she slowly stepped back.

“Whenever I’m with Ryuichi-kun, I really do turn into such a lewd girl, don’t I?”
“Heh, aren’t you the one who wanted this?”
“Yeah, exactly. Only in front of Ryuichi-kun do I become a naughty, lewd girl.”
“A naughty girl, huh. Are you fond of that phrase?”
“Hmm, I wonder. But I don’t hate it, you know.”

“Fair enough,” Ryuichi laughed.
For a moment, neither of them said a word, simply standing face-to-face in a quiet stillness. Then Shizuna let out a cute little sneeze. Looking down at her with a mock-exasperated glare, Ryuichi couldn’t blame her too much since he was the one who had started kissing her in the cold, so he quickly pressed a hand against her back to share his body heat.

“This is goodbye for today. See you later?”
“Ah… yeah. See you later.”

The raw reluctance to part ways hung heavily in the air, telegraphing every ounce of her desire to stay. Once their business was concluded, they usually just went their separate ways without any lingering bitterness to make plans for next time, though Ryuichi had never really stopped to look closely at a woman’s expression in those parting moments.

“……………”

Even as he pressed a hand against Shizuna’s back and gently nudged her toward the doorway, Ryuichi found himself equally reluctant to let go. Recognizing the unfamiliar hesitation taking root inside himself, Ryuichi let out a low, quiet click of his tongue.

“…Man, I really have changed. And to think it all started the day I saved Shizuna.”
“Ryuichi-kun.”

Lifting the hand off her back, Ryuichi wrapped his arm around Shizuna’s waist instead and pulled her into another embrace. The hug was tight and firm enough to make Shizuna’s expression pinch with a fleeting hint of discomfort. Yet she didn’t utter a single complaint or show any sign of resistance, simply letting her cheeks flush a deep crimson as a sweet sigh slipped past her lips.

“Alright, time for me to head back.”
“Ah… yeah, okay.”
“Do me a favor and stop making that heartbreaking face.”
“I can’t help it. I just get so unbearably lonely.”

Ryuichi let out a dry chuckle, figuring that if he stayed any longer, he genuinely wouldn’t be able to make himself leave.
After parting ways with Shizuna and confirming she had safely stepped back inside the house, Ryuichi finally started walking again. Not quite ready to head straight back to his apartment, he decided to wander into the commercial district instead.

“This place is always bustling no matter what time you visit.”

Nighttime was when the city truly came alive.
Lurking in the shadows during the morning and afternoon, the streets donned a dazzling array of colors as soon as night fell and started humming with noise. The people wandering about were like insects drawn to a flame, and it wasn’t unusual to see drunken men being coaxed toward bars by street recruiters.

“Hey there, mister, looking for some fun?”

As he stood observing the scene, a woman called out to him.
The building standing directly behind her was a budget-friendly bar, though judging by the menu staked out by the entrance, the prices were surprisingly reasonable.

“I’m still a student, you know?”
“Doesn’t look like you care much about that, though?”
“Well, can’t argue with that.”

Even though he was still wearing his school uniform, Ryuichi carried the unmistakable aura of someone far too used to nightlife. It was questionable for the recruiter to target someone the moment she realized he was a minor, but Ryuichi had zero intention of taking her up on the offer. Still, a sudden urge to tease her tickled at the back of his mind.

“Why don’t you ditch this place and come keep me company instead?”
“Tch…♪”

Placing a hand lightly on the shoulder of the woman dressed in revealing attire, he jerked his thumb toward a love hotel across the street.
The woman blinked in momentary surprise before looking up at Ryuichi’s face, a bright flush blooming across her cheeks. If he kept pushing right here, she probably would have abandoned her post as a recruiter on the spot just to follow him. As he had mentioned, though, Ryuichi had no actual interest in doing so, so he patted her shoulder and pulled back with a warning not to let herself get swept away by a punk kid like him.

“Oh man… Hey, mister. Are you seriously a high schooler? Is this some kind of cosplay?”
“Why would anyone cosplay in a school uniform…? Though I suppose people like that exist.”
“It’s just that the sheer vibe coming off you is ridiculous. For a second, my woman’s instincts were whispering at me to just surrender even if you’re a high schooler.”
“Is that so? I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Stepping away from her reaching hand, Ryuichi resumed walking.
He stopped by a nearby vending machine to buy a canned juice, quenching his dry throat. As the cool liquid went down, a sudden, wandering thought crossed his mind.

(Come to think of it, I know my paternal grandparents, but I don’t know a single thing about my mother’s side of the family.)

Up until now, the thought had never crossed his mind, but looking at it rationally, he realized he knew zero details regarding his mother’s relatives. Given what a loose, unstable woman she was, her own family might have severed ties with her first, or perhaps she had cut them off herself out of sheer calculated self-interest.

They were likely still alive just like his paternal grandparents, but the mere thought of pondering it made Ryuichi dismiss it with a shrug. It simply wasn’t worth the mental energy. Even so, the bitter realization that memories of his early childhood still clung to him stubbornly no matter how many years passed left a heavy, foul taste in his mouth.

“…I know it logically, so why the hell does it keep sticking to me like this?”

Ryuichi’s parents were long gone. It had been ages ago, yet he could still recall both their faces and their voices with terrifying clarity. It was a testament to how deep and festering his hatred and disappointment toward them truly were, but he couldn’t help wondering if he would ever truly be liberated from this curse.

“Time to head back. Looks like everyone’s getting together this weekend, so I might as well let loose and blow off some steam.”

Letting out a dry, self-deprecating huff, Ryuichi tossed his empty can into a public trash bin and started walking again.

“……?”

Right as he shifted his direction toward his apartment complex, Ryuichi caught sight of a family walking together.
A young boy was holding hands with both his father and mother, sandwiched happily between them. Judging by the shopping bags they carried, they were probably returning from a dinner out, and all three of them wore bright, genuine smiles. While a fleeting pang of envy brushed against him at the sight of that warm family dynamic, something Ryuichi had never once possessed, it didn’t cause him any actual pain.

“Don’t you turn out like a piece of work like me, kid.”

He didn’t say the words out loud, muttering them purely within the confines of his own mind.
Perhaps lingering to stare at them for even a second had been a mistake, because the young boy suddenly noticed Ryuichi and gave a cheerful, fluttering wave. Startled, the boy’s parents hurriedly pulled him away, shielding him from Ryuichi’s view as they quickened their pace, desperate to avoid any association with a delinquent-looking youth.

“…Don’t go growing up to turn into a delinquent yourself.”

A quiet, lingering trace of melancholy drifted away with the night breeze.